It's a welcome return to Southcart Books this week for what is not only another gathering of science fiction, fantasy and steampunk authors who will be reading from their various works, but is also an opportunity to congratulate Southcart Books on the first anniversary of their opening.

Life isn't easy for the independent bookshop. There's stiff competition from online retailers; e-books have removed some demand for physical books; and even supermarkets have got in on the act. If you can have your bestseller delivered along with your milk and your tomatoes, whyever would you go to a bookshop?

Actually, that's one reason. Supermarkets tend to stock bestsellers. Online retailers stock a lot more, but it's far less easy to go in and browse. The physical, independent bookshop, such as Southcart, can choose what it puts on its shelves. Southcart is willing to stock works by lesser known authors, and prepared to back them with events such as that coming on Saturday. Southcart can choose to stock a splendid vintage and esoteric section, and indeed, they have chosen so! Plus, how many online retailers have ever offered you a cup of tea and a piece of cake as you browse? None, that's how many?

So happy birthday to Southcart Books. We hope that you have many more.

(Caaaaaaake).

Saturday's event runs from 11:00am til 4:30pm; I'll be reading from my 'Automata Wars' series around 14:10, straight after lunch. And that's where the killer robots of the blog title comes in... we hope to see you there.

do you like to listen to music from new acts, unsigned acts, steampunk acts, pirate (yarrrr!) acts and lots of other acts?

do you like to listen to the occasional old/ retro/ vintage track alongside your new and unsigned stuff?

do you like the odd cheesey or comedic thing amongst your listening material?

Would you like to swap 'witty' (ahem) banter with Steven C. Davis & I, your GASP show hosts, along with other GASP friends and listeners on facebook and twitter, live during the show?

Do you like biscuits?

Do you like Justin Beiber?

OK, well 5/6 isn't bad (no, biscuits is NOT the odd one out). If you can say yes-ish to the first 5 on this list, then why not tune in tonight to see what we'll be playing (no, absolutely NO Beiber). You can listen in tonight and every Thursday by tuning into 1386AM if you're in the Reading area; alternatively you can listen worldwide via your PC/ tablet/ mobile device using either the BLAST1386 app, or via the Tune-In link (which sometimes proves the most reliable).

And you can also join tonight's facebook event here, and post pictures of biscuits, steampunk cats, or even things slightly relevant to the show if you want to be really daring...

So turn on, tune in and #GASP at the sheer gaspiness of radio's most #GASP-y show. This Thursday and every Thursday. You know it makes sense...

Interestingly, the first speaker of the day, Michael Guest of Keele University, was presenting his PhD work on the Vicars Choral in Lichfield in the 18th Century; as he noted when we handed over, it wouldn’t be often that the History Day would be able to boast of hosting a Vicars and Tarts event! The presentation went well, everyone laughed in the right places, and I'd be more than happy to do more in this vein in the future. Thanks for inviting me, Staffordshire archives! (and also for your permission to use the tweet below). It was also very good to meet up again with fellow speaker and former WM History student, Cathy Schling, and of course with the Director of the Centre for West Midlands History, Dr Malcolm Dick.

From Victorian prostitution to neo-Victorianism, though, I'm back to more familiar territory this weekend, though, as with fellow writer Steven C. Davis I’ll be travelling to Northampton to take part in Steampunk at the Lab, an event at the Legendary Labour Club. Music is provided by BB Blackdog, Birthrite and local chaps Gladstone, and we’ll also be presenting one of our now-equally legendary ‘Star Wars: Steampunk’d’ workshops. And we’ll have copies of all our books available for perusal and purchasement.

Author

I'm a writer of steampunk/ fantasy fiction, singer/musician and writer at LM Cooke Music, singer in the parody band Mediaeval Biaetches, occasional historian, and co-presenter of the Gothic Alternative Steampunk and Progressive web radio show. Here I will ramble vaguely about stuff. Friends, countrymen, and people who aren't countrymen, lend me your ears...